El Niño weather phenomenon very likely in early 2019; may lead to higher temperatures

By Danielle Cinone

|New York Daily News|

Nov 27, 2018 | 10:55 AM

El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific — such as the Pacifica Pier in Pacifica, Calif — promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks. (Jeff Chiu / AP)

It’s going to be hot, hot, hot.

The United Nations World Meteorological Organization is warning the weather phenomenon El Niño is coming — and it’s likely to be within the next three months.

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There’s a 75-80% chance of the event occurring between December and February — and a 60% chance it carries on to April, according to an WMO update released Tuesday.

El Niño, also known as Southern Oscillation, is a “naturally occurring phenomenon involving fluctuations of ocean surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific,” along with overlying atmospheric circulation changes.

This specific event happens approximately every two to seven years and has the potential to last up to 24 months, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

“The forecast El Niño is not expected to be as powerful as the event in 2015-2016, which was linked with droughts, flooding and coral bleaching in different parts of the world,” Maxx Dilley, director of WMO’s Climate Prediction and Adaptation branch, said.

However, predictions for this upcoming El Niño should only have temperatures peak to about 3.3 to 3.4 degrees above average.

“Even so, it can still significantly affect rainfall and temperature patterns in many regions, with important consequences to agricultural and food security sectors, and for management of water resources and public health, and it may combine with long-term climate change to boost 2019 global temperatures,” Dilley said.